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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi

Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesha Festival is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit.Tamil,Kannada and Telugu and Chavath in Konkani. It is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar of Bhaadrapaada starting on the shukla chathurthi(fourth day of the waxing moon period).The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi. This festival is observed in the lunar month of bhadrapada shukla paksha chathurthi madhyahana vyapini purvaviddha.

Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. (Source-Google)

Wishing all of you a very happy Vinayaka chathurthi.May Lord Ganesha bestow his blessings on all of us!!

I share a love-hate relationship with our favorite God's naivedyam-Modak.I never seem to get it right,either the rice flour dough won't hold its shape or the filling doesn't stay in place!!I've tried and tried so many times..but in vain.Almost every time I end up making these pathalis/ela ada in place of modak.Even though the recipe and procedure is similar for both,modak is what is offered to Ganesha on Chavath.This year too I ended up making modak packets(thats what I called them!) for dear Ganesha!!I hope He doesn't mind;-).

Mix the flour and hot water(start with 1 cup water) with a spoon and wait till it cools down bit.
Knead into a smooth dough,adding more water if required.
Mix the ingredients for the filling.
Using a foil,spread the dough into a round shape and keep a tbsp of filling inside.
Seal the sides so that the filling stays in place.
Steam in a steamer or idli cooker for 10-15 minutes.
I kept the pathalis in an idli stand.
You could also use banana leaves in place of foil,which will give the adas a nice aroma.
Enjoy the pathalis...but not before you offer some to Lord Ganesha!!